Review // Crossroads, Love & Ink, and King of Code

I've been doing a lot of reading, but I'm finding it hard to come up with words to review what I've read. So here I am again, taking inspiration from the wonderful Deanna from A Novel Glimpse, with some mini reviews.

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King of Code by CD Reiss ~ 3 stars

Genre - Contemporary Romance / Enemies to lovers
POV - Hero 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Format - ebook from Amazon
Length - 470 pages

Taylor Harden's on the edge of fame and untold wealth, until a hacker freezes his company and holds it hostage.
Life as he know it is ruined unless he find out what he wants...or what she wants.

Harper doesn't want much from Taylor.
All he has to do to get his company back is teach her how to please a man. Step by step, and for every step she'll unlock a piece of his system.

Kissing unlocks a partition.
Touching unlocks another.
Using your mouth to...

How far is this crazy woman going to go?

They hate each other. They can't keep away from each other. They're decoding each other with every step, until all Harper's secrets are revealed, and Taylor risks losing his heart as well as his company.

REVIEW ~ It took me 9 days to finish this book. It was hard to read and hard to follow. I just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that a romance was supposed to bloom out of the mess that was made. The writing was awkward and I guess that suits because the characters were very awkward. I'm oddly intrigued by Keaton, however, I didn't like either protagonist for a list of reasons.

If someone were to jack up my life, try to ruin everything I was working towards, there is no way, no matter how hot or sexy or attractive I found them to be… there’s no way I would get involved with them aside from exacting some swift justice. Taylor was a freaking punk for allowing Harper to get away with what she did. And she came off as a callous, inconsiderate, rude person who didn’t deserve the least bit of compassion.

I did feel bad for the folks of Barrington though.

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Love & Ink by JD Hawkins ~ 3 stars

Genre - Contemporary Romance / second chance
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5
Format - ebook from Amazon
Length - 246 pages

The only thing more permanent than tattoos is love--and she's inked all over my heart.

I've spent the last seven years screwing half the women in the northern hemisphere, but nobody comes close to the girl I left behind. In the meantime, I've built my reputation as a world-renowned tattoo artist with a six-month waitlist.

All of LA is begging me to put my mark on them.

The last thing I expect is for Ash Carter to walk into my shop and blow me off.

She doesn't know I left her to protect her. That she was my entire world, and that was my only choice. That it was a mistake I've regretted every day for seven years.

Now she's back, and she's everything I remember--stubborn, feisty, sexy as hell. And I'll do anything to make her mine again.

But how can I convince Ash to forgive and forget when I can't even forgive myself?

REVIEW - This was a sweet second chance romance about a yummy tattoo artist (Teo) and a bubble gum heroine (Ash). I loved the idea that seven years apart hadn't lessened or cheapened the connection these two shared. I did wish Ash had a bit more faith in Teo, but I guess her doubts were necessary to drive the plot.

There was a great cast of secondary characters as well and they were very easy to enjoy, even Candace. I find there to be a certain kind of charm to Hawkins's writing that I always find appealing. I'm certainly always entertained.

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Crossroads by Riley Hart ~ 3 stars

Genre - Contemporary Romance / MM
POV - Dual 3rd person
Heat - 5 out of 5
Format - ebook from Amazon
Length - 341 pages

After divorcing the woman he’d been with since he was seventeen, Nick Fuller is starting over. He owns the restaurant of his dreams and he’s determined to meet new people, find new passions, and experience life to its fullest. Easier said than done—that is until he meets his new neighbor, Bryce Tanner…

Bryce is all about a good time. He plans to show Nick how it’s done, help him meet a few women, and enjoy the gift of the single life he’s been given. But things don’t go as planned, and soon they realize they’d rather be together than with anyone else.

Neither man has ever wanted another guy, but there’s a connection between them from the start—a spark they can’t deny. They find themselves navigating an unfamiliar new world and dealing with unforeseen obstacles. Physical desire isn’t enough, and now Nick and Bryce are at a crossroads. They have to decide which way to go: the easy path they’ve always followed, or the one that's determined to trip them up at every turn.

REVIEW - There wasn't too much as far as depth, but I sure enjoyed the heck out of it. Nick and Bryce were both very easy to like and I loved everything they became together.

Aside from Try by Ella Frank, I haven't come across a story about a straight man realizing he was attracted to a man. And once again, I had to suspend belief. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, because I really don't know, but the circumstances surrounding the reveals just seem really bizarre. Entertaining and bizarre.

I liked how these men were so real with each other. And how they loved each other, warts and all. They both had insecurities and helped each other conquer their fears. It was them against the world.

They were hot together. Super freaking hot!